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Quotable Quotes: Serena Williams

How does Serena Williams feel about tying Roger Federer's 17 Grand Slam titles? What did she think about the wind? What exactly is V-rena? All the best lines from her press conference, here...

Published September 08, 2013 12:03

Serena Williams

NEW YORK, NY, USA - How does Serena Williams feel about tying Roger Federer's 17 Grand Slam titles? What did she think about the wind? What exactly is V-rena? The new US Open champion met the media in her post-match press conference on Sunday night - here's a taste of what she said...

On the wind..."The wind was unbelievable today. It just never let up. But at this point you have to be able to play under any circumstances. It wasn't very easy. I think I made a lot of errors because of that. But I definitely could have moved my feet better or gotten into position better, which I didn't do at all. Next time I'll have to remember that, that I just have to move more in order to adjust better to it."

On letting the second set slip after being up 4-1 and 5-3..."I got a little uptight, which probably wasn't the best thing at that moment. I wasn't playing very smart tennis then, so I had to relax and not do that again. I just had to stay positive. It was very easy to get down, but I didn't want to get down on myself. I wanted to be a little strict with myself so I could play better. I wanted to do different things and try to have a better performance during the match.

"I obviously would've preferred to close it out in straight sets, but going against a great opponent like Victoria, you have to realize this can happen. You just have to keep fighting for everything."

On whether she feels she was braver than Azarenka in the match..."I don't necessarily think I was more brave than Victoria was tonight. I felt like she went for broke a lot. She changed her game and kept going and doing the right things. But I think, you know, I just pulled myself together and eventually just started playing the kind of tennis I know I can play out there."

On equalling Federer's 17 Grand Slam titles and approaching Evert and Navratilova's 18..."It's an honor to be even with Roger. He's been such a great champion throughout the years, and he's just an unbelievable competitor and he's still playing - and he can probably still win more. So it feels really good to be in that same league as him. He's just been so incredibly consistent in his career.

"Then to be compared with Chrissie and Martina - well, not yet, because I'm still not quite there yet - so I can't necessarily compare myself to them, because numbers-wise they're still greater."

On whether winning her second Grand Slam title of the year makes it a great year..."Coming in, I felt almost disappointed with my year, to be honest. Yeah, I won the French Open, but I wasn't happy with my performances in the other two Slams, not even making it to the quarterfinals of one. So I definitely feel a lot better with at least a second Grand Slam under my belt this year."

On her team..."They really love me. They want to see me do great. That's everyone - my mom, my sisters, coach. They get just as nervous as I do. And they believe in me even more than I do. That's a great feeling."

On playing so well in her 30s, just like a lot of top players on the WTA..."I feel great. I'm happy, first of all, that I'm able to get to this age. A lot of people don't make it this far in our world and our society. So it's an honor. God willing, I will be 32 soon. I embrace it. I think it's awesome. There's a whole new level of sport - technology and things are different, and you can continue to play for so many years and be successful for so many years. I've won this tournament over three decades - '90s, 2000s and this one. I'm happy that I've had the opportunity to achieve that.

"I've never felt better. I feel great. I feel really fit. I can play a tournament like this, singles, doubles, with tough, tough schedules. For the most part, I felt really good. I haven't felt like this in a number of years. I'm excited about the possibilities. I just want to keep playing and do the best that I can."

On how long she'll celebrate this before shifting focus to the next tournament..."I'm already thinking of what I could have done better. I'm a little crazy that way, like something must not be right because I don't relish the moment enough. I automatically think, 'What's next?'"

On what's next - the Asian tournaments..."I look forward to it. Venus and I look forward to playing. V-rena is coming back. We are excited to play doubles there. And we want to get some more practice - we haven't practiced enough this year.